At the onset of the year, swim and dive coach Samantha Brown-Couch approached fan-favorite cheerleader junior Ryan Reed about joining the dive program. Due to Reed’s excellent tumbling skills, Ms. Brown-Couch was confident that he would make a great addition to the swim and dive program. Her intuition proved to be on point, as Reed enjoyed a dive season colored by praise-worthy achievements.

“This being my first year, I dove pretty well. I placed third at the state meet,” said Reed.

While Reed had never been exposed to diving prior to joining the team, his tumbling expertise guided his success. He practiced four days a week in order to hone in his newfound skills, and ensured that he logged in especially vigorous practices prior to meets.

“I trained for meets especially hard and focused mainly on the dives that I would be competing.  I usually attended practice more to become more confident,” said Reed.

In addition to overcoming the difficulties that arise from learning a new trade and working to build confidence, Reed had to rise above fears he had about attempting new dives.

“He looks fear in the face and never back down,” said swim teammate junior Andrew Lisle.

Reed’s efforts proved to pay off, as he placed first at a couple of state meets and qualified for the state meet that took place at the commencement of the season where he placed third.

“I was overall pretty excited about how well I did this season,” said Reed.

Reed’s successes were not the only positive attributes of his dive season. He also enjoyed the support he received from both the swim and cheer teams.  Even though he is the only diver on the team, he came to know his fellow aquatic athletes at the state meet.

“The support I got from the people I met on swim team was awesome,” said Reed. “They were all supportive and encouraging. The cheer team is also very encouraging and supportive and, I think, helps me to want to do better each time.”

At the state meet Reed had the opportunity compete against new competitors and made a host of friends.

“If you were to breed a dolphin with a sea lion,” said Lisle, “Ryan would be the by-product. “